The Shape of a Softer Future (Second Bloom, #18)

Dolores and Pia meet under unlikely circumstances—two women in their late 30s, one divorced, one widowed—thrown together in a community gardening program. Dolores, reeling from the end of her marriage, struggles with feelings of failure. Pia, still mourning her late wife, wrestles with guilt for daring to seek happiness again.

Assigned neighboring plots, they start by simply working side by side, sharing laughter over broken irrigation lines and quiet afternoons tending seedlings. Over time,...